The Image of Gender and Political Leadership: A Multinational View of Women and Leadership

The Image of Gender and Political Leadership examines how young adults view gender and leadership in eight countries with varying levels of experience with women in government. The book finds little evidence of traditional gender stereotypes that would limit young people's support for women as political leaders, and that young adults are very responsive to political party. It provides empirical evidence to dispel myths about what contributes to the low election rates of women and investigates logical steps to achieve gender parity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 28 June 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The underrepresentation of women in democratic governments is a complex issue that has garnered numerous theories. One reason for this may be that voters do not perceive women as capable leaders, or that party elites hinder their paths to office due to a lack of belief in their electability. However, the origins of these attitudes remain a subject of debate. In their book, "The Image of Gender and Political Leadership," Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson and Nehemia Geva explore this topic by conducting parallel experiments in various countries worldwide.

Through these experiments, the authors aim to compare how young adults perceive gender and leadership. The book includes chapters that present findings from on-site experiments conducted with over 6,000 young adult students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in eight countries: Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, Israel, Sweden, the United States, and Uruguay. These countries vary in terms of their experience with women in government.

Overall, the book provides little evidence of traditional gender stereotypes that would limit young people's support for women as political leaders. The participants in the experiments accept women candidates as leaders, indicating their approval of women's ability to hold diverse posts, win votes, and manage stereotypically masculine policy areas. Furthermore, the book reveals that young adults are highly responsive to political parties, regardless of gender. They tend to favor candidates from their preferred parties.

In conclusion, "The Image of Gender and Political Leadership" offers valuable insights into the underrepresentation of women in democratic governments. By conducting cross-national experiments and analyzing empirical evidence, the book challenges myths about what contributes to this issue and provides logical steps toward achieving gender parity. It is a crucial contribution to the ongoing debate on women's political representation and leadership.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197642733